November 20, 2013 (PORTLAND, OREGON) – SeaPort Airlines today announced that it has deployed the merlot.aero Airline Operations Management Solution across its entire route system, including flights operated both as “SeaPort Airlines” and as “Wings of Alaska.”

The merlot.aero solution provides modules for operations and crew management, planning, tracking and regulatory compliance. The solution is unique in that it is the only truly internet based airline operations management tool on the market and is managed through SaaS for real-time data and web service enabled applications deployed over a cloud platform.

The crew scheduling module enables operations staff at SeaPort to evaluate which crewmembers are best to schedule for a specific flight taking into consideration a crewmember’s preferences and requests, regulatory requirements, as well as the company’s interests. Through the CrewPortal, crewmembers will receive timely dissemination of relevant information, accurately estimate pay for each pay period, check trip schedules, trade trips, and check-in/check-out for duty from any smart phone. A fully-integrated rules engine runs synchronicity all the time, providing immediate notification when regulations or company rules could be violated as a result of a crew assignment.

The AircraftFollow module will provide SeaPort’s dispatchers with real time graphical representation of the status for operations conducted as SeaPort Airlines in the Continental US and those conducted as Wings of Alaska in Southeast Alaska. This accurate and timely information aids the decision process when irregular operations occur using mathematical models that allow for instant evaluation of potentially millions of possible solutions to a problem, with the “best solution” provided to the staff making decisions, whether it be lowest cost, minimizing cascading customer impacts, or other relevant factor.

The system also provides robust reporting tools, MEL/Maintenance tracking, operational communications using SMS texting, simplified crew payroll processing, and automation of flight crew training records. “We’re proud that SeaPort is among the first carriers in North America to deploy the merlot.aero solution,” said Rob McKinney, President of SeaPort Airlines. “We implemented the system with the goal of ensuring our entire operations team have the best data and tools they need to live our airline’s leading Core Value of safety. We’re confident further benefits will be realized in the form of efficiency and compliance, as well as providing management with timely reporting on the airline’s operational performance.”

McKinney went on say, “Deployment of merlot.aero will be followed by our previously announced migration to the Amadeus Altéa reservations platform in March 2014. These two software solutions, along with others, demonstrate SeaPort’s commitment to providing our employee team with the best that technology offers so we can provide the highest levels of operational safety, efficiency, and reliability, along with a wide-range of products and services to meet the needs of virtually any customer.”

Other North American carriers that have deployed merlot.aero include WestJet Encore, Allegiant, SkyRegional (Air Canada Express), and SkyKing. Carriers in other regions using merlot.aero include Air Asia, Skywest Airlines (Australia), Regional Express (REX), and Mandala Airlines (Tiger Airways).